New Year's Eve, Valley Style

What better way to ring in the new year than stepping out in style to one of the Lehigh Valley’s hot nightclubs or tony restaurants?

From savoring special menus at the Cosmopolitan, Melt, and Roar Social House to partying hearty into the early morning at Broadway Social, Brew Works or elsewhere, there’s something to thrill everyone. Be advised, the night starts young in the Valley, with restaurants serving up holiday fare before kicking the party into high gear. Reservations should be made at most places, too, so you can guarantee you’ll be on the list for the party.

To celebrate the new year, Fegley’s Brew Works will have a special beer just for that day in Allentown and have a party over in Bethlehem. Count on Broadway Social and Wave for over-the-top excitement. Broadway Social owner Greg Salomoni says the club’s Above Lounge will be accepting reservations and both the club and lounge will have entertainment, music, dancing and more. “I want them to walk out of there and say, ‘oh my god that was the best time I’ve had’ in Bethlehem,” he says. Over in Allentown, the Cosmopolitan has a big evening planned, kicking off with dinner and rolling into a pre-party, new year’s and then an after party. “It’s going to be a really big night,” says assistant general manager Eric Pearl. Dress to impress with black tie suggested for the Wave nightclub.

Over at Roar, you can expect a unique experience heavily influenced by the 1920s, right down to its handcrafted cocktails and set amid brick walls and art deco décor. For a more intimate night, be sure to hit the small speakeasy Hush in the back of Roar and accessible only through a separate door. If you’re stepping out this New Year’s Eve and want to do it in style, you can join the growing number of people who hire drivers for the evening.

Considering that statistics show up to three times more people die in alcohol-related crashes around the Christmas and New Year’s holidays than comparable times the rest of the year, hiring a driver might be a smart move. “People want to travel to their destination safely and return safely,” says Bryan Beale, general manager of A&A Limousine Service. “Sometimes people want to keep their groups together and if you rent a limo you can keep them together instead of going in different cars and getting separated … Everyone gets to celebrate together.” Beale says A&A’s fleet of more than 50 vehicles has taken partiers up to New York’s Times Square and down to Philadelphia. The service already started getting reservations for this New Year’s Eve last month. Some want just to be dropped off and then picked up while others hire for several hours or all night.

If you are looking to head out of the Valley, your options are wide open for fun, including: Stokesay Castle in Lower Alsace Township near Reading will feature a dinner and cocktail packages starting at $75 a person with a band and DJ rocking the old year away. Or if posh elegance set against a city skyline is more your speed, try the Moshulu tall ship-turned-restaurant docked in Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing. Prices start at $125 a person for a four-course set menu with musical entertainment and a front-row seat for the city’s fireworks show.